Best Buy, and the Big Bang of Breached Data

On the heels of Kmart and Delta data breaches, Best Buy is one of the latest retailers to confess that customers’ information may have been compromised. Third-party data firm [24]7.ai was affected by a malware hack, generating cause for concern from Best Buy, which uses chatbots for customer service calls and online sales. Where does data security go from here? Best Buy will have to tackle that question as it sorts out the muck caused by the [24]7.ai breach.

Although credit card and other customer information is at risk, the damage done is not as insurmountable for Best Buy as it is for other retailers. While thousands of customers have fallen victim to information hacks in the previous cases, Best Buy remains confident much of their customer base is safe.

Best Buy issued an apology, now in the spotlight of the data privacy epidemic: “We are fully aware that our customers expect their information to be safeguarded and apologize to the extent that did not happen in this case.” A privacy hub website has been set up to address customers’ concerns about protecting their information. But is it too little too late?

Since US legislation may not be stringent enough to regulate privacy practices at major firms like electronics giant, Best Buy, what can you, as a consumer, do to protect your data? A step in the right direction, apart from boycotting businesses, is to regularly update passwords and take stock of who has your credit card information saved in their online database. Companies can take heed by auditing data practices, formalizing procedures for third-party data access, and further solidifying security measures by utilizing voice biometrics as part of a multifactor authentication security solution.

Remember, security is everyone’s problem, and both customers and retails have an obligation to do their part to ensure it.

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